Projects in road, shipping sector to cross over Rs 6 lakh crore by March

New Delhi: The government on Thursday exuded confidence that in value terms, projects in the road and shipping sector would cross over Rs 6 lakh crore by the end of March. The government also expressed hope that it would meet its highway construction target of 15,000 km for the current fiscal.

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari. PTI

"In the road and shipping sector, we have already allotted work of around Rs. 4,60,000 crore. By March-end, we will definitely cross Rs. 6 lakh crore. We will try to do more than this," Minister for Road and Surface Transportation Nitin Gadkari told reporters here.

"Till March this year, we would allot work (for highways construction) for 15,000 km," the minister said. The minister further said that the government was slowly moving toward that target of building 40-41 km of highways per day.

He further said that before BJP goverment came to power the condition of the infrastructure sector was very critical but in the last two-and-a-half year the Centre has accorded highest priority to the development of infrastructure. "Before our government came to power, around 403 road projects totalling 3.85 crore had almost become non-performing assets," the minister said.

At present, the condition of the infrastructure is very good and the banks which earlier not comfortable is now participating well. In a bid to decongest traffic in the country, the government has decided to increase the length of national highways from 96,000 km, at present, to two lakh km, he said. "In this 2 lakh km, we have already reached around 1.7 lakh km," the minister added.